PhD Spotlight: Lillan Lommel
2026-01-22 In this spotlight, Lillan will briefly tell us about her research.
We want you to meet Lillan Lommel. She is a PhD candidate in organization studies with a background in sociology and the general social sciences, and is an active contributor to our LOST activities. Here is a brief introduction to Lillan's research. You can find more information here.
Could you briefly describe your research project?
In my research, I am interested in organizational settings characterized by informality and the promise to contribute to the realization of better futures. For example, I examine how organizational boundaries come into being in these settings where boundaries are fleeting. I also explore atmospheres, understood as experiences of a specific space-time, in these settings and especially their relation to the future. To address these questions, I use an ethnographic approach and work with approaches from affect theory and the communicative constitution of organizations (CCO). The empirical setting of my PhD research is a social entrepreneurship center and co-working space.
Why is your work interesting or relevant?
One concept that I work with is atmospheres, which I understand briefly as the holistic experiences of a specific space-time. I think that working with atmospheres is important and promising because it helps us understand how human sensations that are always present but might easily be overlooked matter for organizing.
What do you value the most about being a part of LOST?
What I value most about being part of LOST is the immersion in a wide range of ideas, concepts, and approaches. It has been extremely insightful for me to learn about different theoretical streams, methodological approaches, and empirical contexts in workshops and paper sessions. This has also helped with positioning my work in the field of organization studies. Rather than fixed or finished, I see the positioning of my work as an ongoing process and taking part in LOST activities contributes to continuously developing it.